


Night Stories

by museumnelson



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Backstory, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/museumnelson/pseuds/museumnelson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy Merlyn learns some more hard truths after finding out that Oliver is "The Hood" thanks to John Diggle and Felicity Smoak.<br/>Late night in the hidout<br/>Set between 1.16 and 1.17</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Stories

**Author's Note:**

> I just binge watched the whole first season of Arrow. This is a scene that I though was needed. I think that Tommy matter how made he was would not have just dropped it.  
> This is set between "Dead to Rights" and "The Huntress Returns" with no spoilers for anything

Tommy Merlyn is not sure what he is doing here. He knows this place in fact if anyone were to ask he would call Club Verdant his even though it is not his name anywhere on it. Even from outside he can hear the music and the people. But the crowds and the music are not why he is there he wants to punch out the owner of the club his former best friend Oliver Queen. Who it turns out is also the new killer in town known as “The Hood” part of him just wants to turn tail and head to the cops but he knows that is not going to happen partly because Oliver saved his fathers life. The other part was that Oliver was the closeted person in Tommy’s life. So instead he is going to give him a good beating and make him be Oliver again.

It all started when Oliver came back from the island though Oliver acted like everything was fine and he had just spent the last five years parting and living the life in truth Tommy could see it was an act. Oliver was good especially with people who really didn’t know him but there were times when the mask Ollie had been wearing would slip and Tommy would see the new Oliver Queen but now NOW Tommy was not sure what was real but he was going to find out.

Luckily for him the fact that he had quit had not reached the doorman so they just let him in. Once inside it was easy to slip along the wall and stay out of sight both of other people and the cameras. Tommy was not sure if Oliver or anyone else was looking and for this he did not want to be seen. 

Once Tommy got to the door he stopped what if Oliver had move, what if he had changed the code, what if he was not there, or worst what if he was there and was torturing someone. He stopped no matter what he was going to go through the door. So he put in the code and breathed a deep sigh when the door unlocked. Tommy looked around and when no one was even faced his way he slipped in making sure that the door was closed behind him and no one else got in. 

This is when Tommy stopped first he took it all in. In among the chairs and boxes he saw a table that that women he had meet once was at with three computers going and her seaming to work on all three at the same time. Beyond her was Oliver and his body guard whose name Tommy just could not remember were fighting and that is what brought Tommy to a stop and made him sit and think about his plan. The two of them were going faster then Tommy could think possible. Could he hit Oliver or would he just take Tommy down and then Tommy would be the one to get the beating.

Then the body guy stopped fighting and Oliver seamed not ready for it so Oliver hit him but then Oliver to stopped looking around the body guy put down the sticks that they were using and walked up to Oliver slowly taking the stick things away all while talking to him though it looked like Oliver wasn’t really paying him any attention, typical Ollie. Then something that Tommy did not understand happened all at once Oliver started to scream. Not the happy we are having fun sound or the screams Tommy had heard when they were kids riding the newest roller-coaster. No, this was the screams of someone if pain someone being tortured. In fact the few words that Tommy could make out were “please stop” and “it hurts” The sound was such that all Tommy could do was sit and watch and ask anyone to make it stop.

The worst part was nothing was being done to Oliver. His body man was just holding him say things that Tommy can’t hear first he had Oliver by the wrist and then this man seamed to have a death wish because though Oliver fought it with everything he seamed to have the guy held on to more of Oliver starting with Oliver’s wrist and then in the end was hugging him. All this time the women did not do anything. Tommy wanted to scream at her and tell her to help. Instead she just walked around the room first dumping blankets on the ground then pulling out random boxes and playing with mugs. 

While she was doing this Oliver’s screams slowed and then stopped and then Oliver started to cry a deep and painful thing. Something that Tommy had never heard not even when his mother died or when Oliver and his father were though dead. It was then the women came to Oliver. What made Tommy stop and think was how she came to him well before getting near Oliver she got down and talked to him and then stayed low as she came near him. In Tommy’s mind it was like they were acting like Oliver was a wild animal. Then she gave him the mug and Tommy could see both of them were talking to him as his tears slowed then they helped him to get up and walked slowly across the room to the pile of blankets as the body man got him set in the women when to the box she pulled out and then he saw it was some kind of wet wipe and she when over again slowly and was cleaning Oliver’s face and hands all while talking to him. At the same time the body man looked like he was standing guard over him. 

It was then that it struck Tommy this was not the first time Oliver had broken down like this. The way the women had only reacted to the screams by setting all the things out how the body man knew it was coming. Tommy was not sure what was what and decided that he would just slip out and then it happened. 

“You know Mr. Merlyn, we have some much better seats down here.” The body man called out. “Shit” Tommy though well they know I here nothing to do but come down. So he got up and walked down the stairs to meet these people who seam to know _HIS_ best friend better then him.

The girl was still busy pulling the boots off and settling Oliver into a pile of blankets on the floor. As he comes down she looks at Tommy “Dig you will wake him and he _NEEDS_ his sleeps” with that she hit the back of his legs as she got up. Dig Tommy though yea the guys name was Mr. Diggle but Oliver and he guess this girl call him Dig now if he could just remember the girl’s name. So Tommy did what he had learn to do after years of meeting girls, sleeping with them, and then forgetting them he acted like _she_ might have forgotten his name. “Hi, I am not sure you remember Tommy Merlyn we only met that once.” He said as the women came near. As she did Tommy could see she was _hot_! Tall and blond well put together even with the big glasses, though the clothes she was wearing would not get her past the door. But Tommy though in the right outfit she could do a killing up stairs. “Oh, I know who you are … Not that I know you just that no one who lives in Starling City does know of you and then the fact that I work for Oliver well this is off the clock but …” She then closes her eyes and scrunches up her face. “Sorry Hi I am Felicity Smoak and I have some work to get back to.” Now looking between Diggle and Tommy “If you two wake up Oliver I will have him beat you up.” And with that she puts on a set of headphones and seams to get lost in what she is doing. 

Tommy looks over at Mr. Diggle and sees that he has a slight grin of his face like the threat of getting beat up by Oliver was no big deal but then he had seen he could fight so maybe it wasn’t. Tommy also really looked at how the guy was standing there like he was some kind of guard with Oliver curled up on the floor sound a sleep and Tommy knew how hard it would be for anyone to get down here and the dude look like he could use a break. “Hey man I know you _pretend_ that you are his body guard and all but we all know Ollie there can take care of himself so why not take a seat.” With that Tommy pushed a chair closer to Diggle as he sat down next to the table the cute girl was at. “Thank you Mr. Merlyn but I am just fine here. Besides I told Mr. Queen that I would stand guard while he slept and I would hate for him to wake and think I was not doing what I said.” With this Tommy looks around and lifts his arms to point around the space “FROM WHAT those party kids up stairs even if any of them could get through which we both know they can’t Oliver right there could probably take them ALL.” Pointing to all the weapons lying around the room. With the out burst the girl looks up and give Tommy a dirty look which he returns Why are these people protecting a killer. “Be that as it may Mr. Merlyn I told him I would stand guard now if you don’t have any other questions.”

It was then that Felicity spoke up “Did you not just see what happened?” That brought Tommy up short. While Felicity continued “I know you and others don’t like to think about what he when through on the island but why do you think he learned all the things he knows what Oliver just said to himself I just have all this time to kill so I will learn how to hunt and kill?” as she when on “Have you ever seen Oliver with his shirt off?” 

“Yea lots of times! What’s the big deal about his chest?” Tommy retorted getting mad at this women who seamed to be standing up for a killer. 

“Since he came back from the island?” was her quite response. 

Tommy opened his mouth to say, “Yes” when he had to stop and close it. He started thinking and since he had come back Oliver had never taken his top off in front of him. It was not like they flashed each other but in the past it was not like either him or Ollie were shy about their bodies. 

When he looked up he saw this girl have a look of I-told-you-so all over her face. She then turned and typed as few things into the computer screen and pictures came up one of a chest, a back, and arms each on there own screen. “I would have told to go and look at Oliver right now but after one of his flashback/nightmare things Diggs has me keep away … not that I think Oliver really would do anything to hurt me it is just that he told me once after one of these things he kind of attached his mom” seeing the look of shock on Tommy’s face “Oh, he let her go as soon as he realized who she was but when he is in the island memories grrrr” and with that last bit she made a clawing movement. “Ok anyway these were taken by the doctors right when Oliver was _found_ “ with that last bit Tommy looked over at her. “The story is a little weird not sure found is the right word ok anyway” Felicity continued “As you can see he has scars over a lot of his body not to mention the burns. Also though it does not show he has broke a whole bunch of bones too” 

Tommy just sat there and stared at the images. So this is part of what his friend was hiding not just the second life but also a past as he was letting that sink in. When Felicity again broke into his thoughts “There are notes in the doctors file that they think some of these scars are from torture.” Tommy turned and looked at her with shock “But Oliver has told _everyone_ that he was alone on the island!” 

“He lied” Diggle said quietly from across the room. “I am not sure why maybe he doesn’t want to make it hard on anyone or maybe he thinks no one will understand but he lied. Even with me and he knows I have seen war he won’t talk about it. But I know someone trained him and I don’t just mean the fighting but also the frame of mind. I have seen him fight both out there and with me it is why I have to be carful he was trained long and hard by someone that it is him or the other guy and only one is going to get out alive. Why do you think I am standing guard? As you said it is not like anyone can get down here but he would only agree to sleep if he knew I was standing guard as he has told me “sleep is dangerous.” Where did he learned all of that? Not in Starling City.”

All this made Tommy stop and think. He still did not like what his friend did but some of what they were saying he started to understand that there was more to Oliver Queen’s time away then he could ever imagine. “I think I understand he went though a lot of shit but why is he doing this?” Again pointing to the room around him. 

With that question Diggle and Felicity look at each other Tommy can tell they are having some kind of discussion with their eyes and it ends with Diggle making a shrugging movement. “Well see what did he tell you about his dad?” Felicity said not looking at Tommy “I know you knew his dad with you and Oliver growing up together and spending so much time together. I am sure you could tell me all kinds of stories and fun times you had together … what I meant was what did he tell you about how his dad died?” Tommy stopped and though “He didn’t tell me anything he just said that he died on the boat like everyone else” “Well see he didn’t die on the boat” was Felicity’s immediate response. Tommy stared at her and then Diggle so these two people know more then anyone else even him as he thought about this he got mad why does Oliver trust these two people so much and not him. 

Diggle had to learn how to read people first to survive in Afghanistan and then in his job protecting the rich. He thinks that’s why he saw through so much of Oliver’s bull and lies now he could see that Mr. Merlyn was about to explode and with Oliver out of it that would not end well so he took the matter in hand. Felicity was a good kid and he though the more people Oliver cared about as individuals the better but she always seamed to have a problem with talking especially hard topics. “His father shot himself in front of Oliver on the lifeboat when Mr. Queen senior could see that there was only enough supplies for one to survive.” Diggle said in the same voice as when he told them Oliver lied.

All the anger that had been building up inside of Tommy popped like a balloon. How could Oliver deal with all of this? Tommy had loved Oliver’s dad like he was his own in so many ways Oliver’s dad had been his dad. Tommy can imagine surviving a shipwreck, then seeing your dad kill himself in front of you and then the fact he might have been tortured. No wonder he was not the same person that left on the Queens Gambit five years ago but that still did not answer his question. 

Felicity could see the question forming. “Before he died Oliver’s dad told him that he had failed the city and all their money came from doing bad he gave Oliver a list of names that he carried and gave it to Oliver and said he had to avenge him and fix the city. I would show you the list but the last person I know who saw the list was Walter Oliver's step-dad and you know what happened to him. So, Oliver uses what he learned to take out the bad guys. I get you have a problem with the killing so do I as soon as we find Walter I am out but I know and have seen he is doing a lot of good for this city it is something to think about.”

With that Tommy stood up he was not sure he could take much more information tonight “Thank you for the information and the truth. I still don’t agree with what Oliver is doing but I guess I understand it a bit better.” He looked over at the sleeping form of Oliver with more understanding then he had in a long time. “You can tell Oliver that I will not be going to the cops about all this but I am not ready to talk to him.” With that Tommy got up and left.

Felicity watch him head out and pulled up the security cameras of the club to make sure no one saw Tommy leave it would not do to have some drunk party girl to find the door in. Then she when back to researching the money trail she had found in hopes of finding the next clue to find Walter. Diggle rolled his neck and got ready for a long night he hoped that he would have to be on guard for three maybe if he was lucky four hours Oliver needed the sleep.

In the pile of blankets Oliver had a lot of things to think about. So they knew not everything but some of it. The tea Felicity had given him had been spiked but he had known that and it was not strong enough to knock him out but he was not going to let her know that. It was enough that Oliver knew that if he did not fight it he would have already been asleep but when he heard Dig say Tommy’s name it took everything in him not to run. Him breaking down like that was hard enough for Dig and Felicity to see but Oliver never wanted his family to see this side of him the broken side and he saw Tommy as a brother but Felicity’s taking care of him felt so good that he fought everything in him and stayed like he was asleep. He knew he did not deserve the way she treated him but he will take it while she is here. Now he was glad that he had stayed put Tommy now knew all kinds of things that Oliver could not tell him and maybe some day they could work it out. Also he now knew how much about his past Dig and Felicity knew or at least guessed and that he lied and they were not pushing him on it. Oliver was not sure what he did to earn these people but he hoped that he did not lose them like so many others in his life. With the quite he settled in the blankets and hoped to get some sleep he could use it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the story this is my first finished work so be kind. I just really needed to write it.


End file.
